Concert review: New Kids on the Block at Amway Center

When New Kids on the Block last performed in Orlando, the group teamed with the Backstreet Boys to form a super-boy-band big enough to double as a company softball team.

On Friday, New Kids returned to a packed Amway Center on “The Package,” a tour that also featured harmony-laden opening sets by Boyz II Men and 98 Degrees.

With the “Kids” now in their 40s and their audience embracing second-generation fans (less prone to random shrieking, thankfully), it’s easy to call this nostalgia.

Apparently, the New Kids didn’t get the memo.

Instead, Jordan Knight, Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Danny Wood and Donnie Wahlberg started their 2-hour performance with a pair of songs off the band’s new “10” album. The stately “We Own Tonight” fit with the grand combination of lasers and fog that accompanied the group’s entrance, but “Block Party” was sludgy despite an orgy of lights that bathed the arena.

Most of the show (even the opening sets) unfolded in the center of the arena on a satellite stage that turned in circles, belched smoke and occasionally lifted the singers toward the rafters. The latter effect was most striking on “The Whisper,” another new one.

Musically, harmonies on high-energy songs such as “Summertime” sounded closer to shouting, but the time-machine worked fine on signature hits such as “You Got It (The Right Stuff),” “Step by Step” and “Hangin’ Tough.” Ballads, such as the gorgeous medley featuring “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind)” and “Please Don’t Go Girl,” were the showstoppers.

Despite a muddy sound mix, Boyz II Men showcased more classic harmonies in 35 minutes that included “On Bended Knee,” "I'll Make Love to You," “End of the Road” and a lovely “It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday."

By comparison, singer Nick Lachey and 98 Degrees had more time, but did less with it.

“Girls Night Out,” off the new “2.0” album, was a redundant mess and oldies such as “The Hardest Thing," "I Do (Cherish You)" and "Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche)" haven’t aged well. Neither has that ridiculous choreography.

No such problems for the New Kids, still hanging tough after 25 years.

Maybe the package is older, but it hasn’t reached its expiration date yet.